1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a paper roll storage and paper roll supply system for supplying paper roll to a paper feeder station of a rotary press from the paper roll storage. More specifically, the invention relates to a paper roll storage and a paper roll supply system, which improves the efficiency with which paper rolls can be stocked.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a printing factory, it is required to stock a large amount of paper rolls to ensure uninterrupted production of a large amount of printed material by means of rotary presses. Therefore, a paper roll storage is essential.
Typical examples of such paper roll storage arrangements are disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 59-48347, particularly in FIG. 3, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 62-74859, particularly in FIG. 5, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 1299148, particularly in FIG. 1, and "Recent Newspaper Production Major Equipments 1986", May 17, 1986, issued by Japanese Newspaper Association, particularly in FIG. 5 and on page 382 and pages 378 to 383. In this disclosed prior art, a plurality of paper rolls are arranged on a common floor and oriented for stocking. As discussed on pages 376 and 377 of the latter mentioned publication, there has been employed, in recent years, paper roll storage of a spacial storage form for storing a plurality of paper rolls on a plurality of spatially arranged storage areas.
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, one or more paper roll delivery outlets 21a for delivering paper rolls 29 to respective feeder stations 22 of respective rotary presses are provided at one portion or concentrically at another, in a paper roll storage 21. A paper roll transporting system 24 is provided for transporting the paper roll supplied from the paper roll delivery outlet 218 to paper roll supply station 23 of feeder stations 22. The paper roll transporting system 24 includes a paper roll transporting path 24a extending across respective paper roll supply stations 23 of the feeder stations 22 and transporting carriers 24b, which is driven by an appropriate drive means (not shown). The paper roll 29 is transported to the paper roll supply station 23 by the paper roll transporting system 24 and supplied to the feeder station 22 with the aid of a traverser 23a.
However, this type of prior art encounters the following problems. Namely, in case of the paper roll storage which stocks paper rolls on a common floor, a relatively wide floor area has been required. This clearly increases the floor area of the paper roll storage in a building and wastes a large amount of space.
Also, in the paper roll storage wherein paper rolls are stacked on a common floor or in the spacial type of storage arrangement, since one paper roll delivery outlet or a plurality of paper roll delivery outlets are concentrically located at one location, and the paper roll transporting system which includes a paper roll transporting path extending across the paper roll supply stations of respective feeder portions, the paper roll transporting system naturally becomes large and complicated with the attendant high cost and possibility of failure.